Time Machine: ALL MY POSTS FROM 2010 --When this Blog Was Just Local and Very Different

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The City That Never Sleeps; Yes, another Psychic

A number of establishments around here ( like this CVS store) claim to be open 24 hours a day...

But not necessarily seven days a week ( Rite Aid is not 24 hrs on the weekends)...

A couple of delis are open all night but have a buzzer at the door...

Well, traffic never completely stops, not here around the Midtown tunnel, that's for sure.

You can hear one motorcyclist from my apartment late at night some times ( I assume it is the same person) who really revs up his engine as he heads through the local brick canyon on his way to the tunnel...

Yes. Another Psychic. Is there a "Psychic Community" around here or something?
Some of them use Yoga symbols and some seem more oriented towards astrology or perhaps palmistry.

If you believe in conspiracy theories, I am sure you can find some wicked purpose to why so many of these places are located around here.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Derelict Bike; Feeding Pigeons

This bike chained to a traffic sign has the seat taken off..

What the hell is it doing here? Is someone coming back for it?

Meanwhile, someone has put food out for pigeons. Really not necessary...

Day is another hot and humid one...relief promised for tomorrow.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Eagle; Flower before rain: japanese straightening

Old eagle and tacky artificial flowers bedeck the window of a curious old building...

Some kind of summer flower sweats in the terrific heat and humidity as the rain moves in.
Hair and nail salon boasts Japanese straightening. What is that?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Gay Pride Parade; Yet Another Psychic

I got over to Madison Avenue too late to see any of the Gay Pride parade...sure it will be on TV news tonight.

All I saw were some stragglers like this couple and tons of cops soaking up overtime and tropic heat.

Heard one of the cops complaining about the heat...very unusual, NYC cops are real stoics about the weather. They are out in everything all the time...
Just when I thought I had seen all of them, voila, another new psychic shop pops up in my path. This neighborhood has too many psychic places for it not to mean something....but what?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Shoes; New Psychic; Neighbor

Street corner conversation is conveyed by stances of participants and, oddly enough, their shoes..

Yet another Psychic in the neighborhood...

Neighbor out on a park bench.Wouldn't sit still so he is out of focus...why is it so hard to get decent shots of some people?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Oxford Newz and Smoke; Green Condos

Can remember when I used to go to Oxford Newz and Smoke on Third Avenue to see if I could get a copy of Newsday...the NY paper with the best puzzle section.

I don't buy Newsday every day any more...and I don't buy cigarettes, which by the way are going way up again due to a new tax to try and close the State's deficit.

Those Green Condos over on Second Avenue seem to be ready but don't look like many people gave moved in...real estate market is still poor here.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Ghost of Warhol; Psychic Messengers

A store window displaying super"modern" furniture on 34th Street has what is like a pop Art photo of Andy Warhol hovering ghost-like in the background...
Meanwhile, on Fifth Avenue, people advertise....yet another Psychic! What is it with all these psychics in Midtown Manhattan?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

34th Street- Astro Gems and Minerals

The Astro Gems and Minerals Shop on West 34th Street always has the most interesting windows...

Wish I had a polarizing filter built in on my camera to block distracting reflections in shop window.

Particularly like the reference to fish fossils...

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Multitasking; Bar Flags for Soccer; Murray Hill Center?

Seems like half the people on the street are texting or on their cell phones...including this dad (?) taking kids out for stroll.





Bar flags for World's Cup in bar window ...
This tablet at the Southwest corner of Park Avenue and 35th Street marks the center of the old Murray farm-- the true center of Murray Hill?

Saturday, June 12, 2010

World Cup Excitement-for a while

World Cup for soccer ( or football, if you will) has begun..

Sports bars at 34th Street and 3rd Avenue are seeing a lot more interest in this than in the past...

This may just be for today, as the U.S. plays England and U.S. fans are hoping for an upset.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Everyday sights- where are these people moving to?

There was no apartment building near where these people were unloading their stuff, so I wondered where they were moving it to.

Maybe this was as close a parking spot as they could get to where they wanted to go.

Two cafes catering to two different types of clientele--maybe--exist side by side.

Wanted to get shot of vendor at this street place selling food to someone but felt it would be an unwelcome intrusion...there are some places in Midtown where you are free to photograph anything, but this quiet corner didn't seem like one of them.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Apparent False Alarm

One of New York's bravest arrives at a big apartment complex.
A lot of trucks showed up ( not just the two shown here)...I walked by as they were coming and was back ten minutes later as some trucks were leaving, but a few more were coming in from farther away, probably!
This was possibly a heart attack... wonder if woman on cell phone nearby called in a false alarm just to relieve her boredom on lazy, hot afternoon. Hope not!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Hats; Bus People: Decorated Street

Hats for men are not particularly "in" right now and besides, it is summer. Am old enough to remember a time when adult men usually wore hats...

Taking their time, people wait and board slowly and patiently for a bus. This is what distinguishes them from the people dashing around in the subway.

This is either 31 st or 32nd Street and Fifth Avenue, and noticed there are decorations up for some kind of holiday...wonder which one. There is always something in NYC.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Signs with Attitude

Some signs and posters and pictures and what not are meant to be inspirational...

On Madison Avenue, some outfit called Values.com sings the praises of "Leadership" with its picture of Geo. Washington crossing the Delaware...

Sign is in front of Roche Bobois furniture store ( where Maurice Villency used to be before they went bankrupt).

One awful painting in hallway in this building extols " Attitude"--what attitude? Mostly contempt for kitsch like this.

Finally, woman wears T shirt with an advertising slogan for organic restaurant on 32nd Street....noticed her gabbing on cell phone and walking along oblivious to everything else as is so often the case.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Little House; former Club Building; Street Sale

Buildings around here come in all kinds of shapes and sizes--some unfortunately cookie-cutter apartment blocks and the like, but a lot of places well worth a second look.

35th Street has a number of small townhouses ( how did they get built that way) which have been renovated in various ways.

One of them ( just to left of one shown) has been flying the United Nations flag and now has a "For Sale" sign on it.

Not sure whether Stanford White building on lower Park Avenue ( not Park Avenue South, this is the lowest part of the "real" Park Avenue)-- it has a big plaque on it...apparently it was a club building for different organization and now is co-ops.

Finally, some woman has all sorts of "stuff" ( don't know what else to call it) out on Third Avenue in the upper 30's...trying to sell off things she no longer wants, I guess. Another woman was just to the North of her. 

Always thought you needed a license to block the sidewalk that way but cops probably figure it isn't worth the hassle messing with Murray Hill locals who can have expensive lawyers and be very contentious.